Mark Helfrich is focused on what Ducks can control but thankful for things out of their control

Posted on November 17, 2013

Originally Posted on Emerald Media via UWIRE

Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich made it clear in his conference call on Sunday that the Ducks are focused on their upcoming game versus Arizona. After all, the Ducks have a significant amount of control over the outcome of that game. But that didn’t stop Helfrich from appreciating the help his team received from, who he called, “a strange friend,” even if that help was completely out of Oregon’s control.

That “friend” was USC, normally seen as Oregon’s enemy. But since the Trojans were playing Stanford, the one team ahead of Oregon in the Pac-12 North standings, on Saturday, the Ducks became USC fans for a night.

Oregon senior defensive tackle Ryan Hagen looked at USC this way:

When USC took the 20-17 lead they’d never relinquish, several Oregon players expressed their gratification toward the Trojans on Twitter. The Ducks were back up to No. 1 in the Pac-12 North standings, meaning they only have to win their final two games against unranked Arizona and Oregon State to reach the Pac-12 championship game.

However, not every Duck tweet was celebratory after USC’s win. Several Oregon players, including Hagen, reiterated their team’s motto: Win the Day.

Helfrich echoed the same sentiment on Sunday. He’s happy USC put the Ducks in the driver’s seat to take the Pac-12 North, but he said his team can’t focus on things they can’t control.

“A lot of things can happen between wherever we are right now and wherever we’re supposed to be,” Helfrich said.

One of those things is the grim reality of injuries. During the second quarter against Utah on Saturday, linebacker Derrick Malone dove to make one of his team-leading 85 tackles, but he landed awkwardly on his right arm. The junior lay on the ground for several minutes, grasping his injured limb. His future was in doubt, at least from the viewer’s perspective.

Malone later said the injury wasn’t serious and that he expects to play this coming Saturday, but the incident reminded everyone about how fragile a football player’s, and an entire team’s, health can be.

Malone wasn’t the only hobbled Oregon player, either. Quarterback Marcus Mariota still didn’t look 100 percent after spraining his MCL prior to last week’s game against Stanford, and starting left tackle Tyler Johnstone rolled his ankle right before the game ended, causing him to limp toward the sidelines.

“The buildup of the nicks and dings that take place over the course of the football season add up,” Helfrich said, “so hopefully we can manage that well and psychologically could manage that well going into next week.”

Despite Mariota’s apparent uneasiness and reluctance to run (four carries for negative-18 yards, mostly on sacks, against Utah) on Saturday, he continued his astonishing play through the air. The redshirt sophomore threw for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 19-of-26 passing against the Utes. He still hasn’t thrown an interception this season.

“I can elaborate but I can’t explain it,” Helfrich said of Mariota’s interception-less streak.

But the Utah game is behind Helfrich and the Ducks. Now, Oregon goes on the road to face an Arizona team that is 6-4 on the season and has lost two in a row. While they might not seem like much of a threat to the fifth-ranked Ducks, Helfrich noted the Wildcats’ depth, from their solid front seven on defense to their elite running back, Ka’Deem Carey.

“(Arizona’s) another huge challenge and they’ll be trying to right the ship from last week,” Helfrich said.

Helfrich sounded ecstatic for that challenge in Tucson, Ariz., the Ducks’ last road game of the season. Oregon is now in an almost ideal position, controlling its destiny in the Pac-12 North. If the Ducks win their final two contests, they’ll go to the Pac-12 championship game. And who knows? Maybe a couple of more things out of their control will go their way.

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

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